Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time

Year B

Twenty-third Ordinary Sunday

Images

 

People of impaired abilities

Points to note

 

To be politically correct, we talk of people with impaired abilities instead of handicapped. Whatever label we apply, however, we seem sadly to be faced with a potential embarrassing situation: we have to deal with and embrace them in the name of Jesus.  

We now live in a world where it is possible for everyone to be beautiful and successful. We propagate such ideas that it is a virtue to achieve beauty and success while those who do not achieve them are losers.  As such, we have largely been taught to avoid such losers in fear that we may be end up likewise.  It is possible therefore we may have children today who may not have met anyone who is handicapped.  If they have, it is very likely that the experience has not been presented to the child as a positive one.

We may not be able to reverse the years and the all-pervasive nature of society’s and perhaps, even the family’s conditioning of the child but if we can introduce the idea that there is an alternative view towards viewing the handicapped as undesired, I think we have succeeded.

Liturgy

Acclamation

Alleluia!  Alleluia!

Jesus proclaimed the Good News of the kingdom,

and cured all kinds of sickness among the people.

Alleluia!

Gospel

Jesus has just left Galilee and is travelling through some places outside of Israel on his way to Jerusalem.

The Lord be with you.

All:   And also with you.

A Reading from the Holy Gospel according to St Mark

(Mk 7:31-37)

Returning from the district of Tyre, Jesus went by way of Sidon towards the Sea of Galilee, right through the Decapolis region.  And they brought him a deaf man who had an impediment in his speech; and they asked him to lay his hand on him.  He took him aside in private, away from the crows, put his fingers into the man’s ears and touched his tongue with spittle.  Then looking up to heaven, he sighed; and said to him, “Ephphatha,” that is, “Be opened.”  And his ears were opened, and the ligament of his tongue was loosened and he spoke clearly. And Jesus ordered them to tell no one about it, but the more he insisted, the more widely they published it. Their admiration was unbounded. “He has done all things well,” they said, “he makes the deaf hear and the dumb speak.”

This is the Gospel of the Lord

Discussion

Who are the key people in the story?  Jesus; the deaf man; and the bunch of people who brought the deaf man to Jesus, (the ‘They’).  Discuss how they felt:  the They, Jesus and the deaf man.  Why did Theybring the deaf man to Jesus?  Maybe it is to make fun of him, maybe it is to sincerely help him.  But notice that Jesus took him aside in private: maybe Jesus knows the intentions of Theyand wanted to spare the deaf man from Them.

Discuss how do the children feel when they meet a deaf man?  It is good to just let the discussion flow.  Do not be judgemental about their responses, whether we view their responses as positive or not.  Let Jesus be the judge.

How did the deaf man react?  We don’t really know how did the deaf man react?  How would you think a deaf man would react if there is such a crowd?  Remember that many may have been taught to stay out of society’s way.  Wouldn’t they be fearful, embarrassed over the commotion, intimidated by other people’s initiatives?  Ask the children how they would feel if they are the deaf man in such a situation.  Again, do not be judgemental about what we view to be positive or negative responses.

How did Jesus react to the deaf man?  It is hard to tell from the reading how Jesus felt. Maybe, he felt pity, maybe he felt that there was something that needs to be done.  Maybe, he felt that They need to be taught the right way to treating deaf people.  Whatever it is, we know what he did: he healed the deaf man.

Discuss how the children think Jesus wanted They to handle the deaf man.  Discuss how Jesus would want the children to deal with deaf and other handicapped people. Contrast this with what the children’s responses were earlier.  While we should encourage the positive responses, do not shame the negative ones. Explain that society does not generally treat handicapped people well and Jesus may want us, as Christians, to teach society how he wants handicapped people to be treated.

Are handicapped people helpless people who need our help all the time? Look at the list of handicapped people below and I think we need their help to inspire our lives more than they need our help:

·           Stevie Wonder is blind

·           The world’s leading percussionist, Evelyn Glennie is deaf!  She attends concerts, plays in orchestra and as soloist, gives interviews without hearing a sound!

·           Helen Keller was born blind and deaf.  She eventually learned to talk and use a typewriter.  Try to imagine how it is like to learn if you can’t hear or see.

·           Alexander Graham Bell thought his telephone invention was not good enough and would never have released it if it wasn’t for his wife, who though deaf, insisted that he did.

Do you know any similar inspiring handicapped people?

Have you noticed things that we take for granted:

·           When you meet a blind person for a second time, he or she would know how high to put out his or her hand to shake yours?

·           A deaf person can tell whether you are actually speaking or only moving your lips?

·           A blind person standing by the road side in an unfamiliar place seems to know where the bus stop is, even without being told?

Do you have any similar stories to share?

Twenty-three Sunday in Ordinary Time

Year A

Twenty-third Ordinary Sunday

Images

I am my brother’s keeper

Points to note

Last week, we dealt with how Jesus reacted to Peter who made a mistake.  This Sunday, we deal with a central theme in our everyday life:  What do we do when someone else makes a mistake?

Care must be taken to ensure that the discussion does not centre on the mistake that the someone else did, but rather on our reaction to that mistake.  Some children are notorious as ‘tell-tales’ and intervention is often required to keep the discussion on track.

Liturgy

Acclamation before the Gospel

Alleluia!  Alleluia!

Your word is truth, O Lord,

consecrate us in the truth.

Alleluia!

Gospel

This passage takes place after the Transfiguration, and Jesus was discussing with his disciples about the Church.

The Lord be with you.

All:   And also with you.

A Reading from the Holy Gospel according to St Matthew

All:   Glory to you O Lord

 (Mt 18: 15-20)

Jesus said to his disciples: “If your brother does something wrong, go and have it out with him alone, between your two selves.  If he listens to you, he has won back your brother.  If he does not listen, take one or two others with you:  the evidence of two or three witnesses is required to sustain any charge.  But if he refuses to listen to these, report it to the community; or if he refuses to listen to the community, treat him like a leper or a tax collector.

“I tell you solemnly, whatever you bind on earth shall be considered bound in heaven; whatever you considered loose on earth shall be considered loosed in heaven.

“I tell you solemnly once again, if two of you on earth agree to ask anything at all, it will be granted to you by my Father in heaven.  For where two or three meet in my name, I shall be there with them.”

This is the Gospel of the Lord

Discussion

Have you heard of the saying ‘I am not my brother’s keeper’?  It was Cain’s response when God asked him where Abel was (Gn 4:9).  What kind of person was Cain?  He murdered his brother, Abel.  You may wish to go through the story of why Cain killed Abel - because Cain got jealous when God liked Abel’s sacrifice more than Cain’s.  Discuss the type of person who would use the saying - someone who is afraid or not bothered about his brother.  Explain that ‘brother’ in this context, does not just refer to a member of the family, but to any member of the community.

Have you ever seen your brother or sister in the family done something wrong?  Careful here, we do not want a long diatribe of dirty linen being washed in public!!  Damper it down if necessary and move on.  Note that this does not refer to wrongdoing done by the child, but by others.

Point out that even if it were a wrongdoing where no one gets hurt, Mom and Dad would still be angry.  Discuss what the child would do if Mom and Dad still haven't found out.  Would they tell at the first instance, or would they remonstrate with the wrongful sibling?  If the sibling were still unrepentant, would the child then inform the parents?  I find that in many circumstances, there is no right and wrong answer to this question.  Even for us as adults, or maybe, especially for us as adults (would you turn in your own child if he/she commits a crime?  A small crime?  A big crime?).  So, don’t be dogmatic with the answer.

If there is time, expand the discussion to brothers and sisters in the community.

Explain to the children that as the Church is one family, it also has a head like our parents at home.  As head of the Church, God would not like it if somebody in the family sins.  As a member of the family, we have a responsibility to do for a fellow member of our community what we should do for our sibling at home who has done any wrongdoing.

23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Year C

Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time

Images

Preparation

Points to note

The session for today centres round the idea of preparing.  Jesus’ statement at the end of the reading is a little provocative and the facilitator will have to consider if she or he wishes to extend to discussion to cover this area.  If so, it is recommended that the initial part of the discussion could be briefer with regards to the answers that you will get from the children.

The difficult line in the reading is about hating your parents.  Of course, Jesus did not mean to hate as we now understand it.  Our God is said to be a jealous God and the question is whether we are prepared to leave our most treasured possessions and relationships to serve God.

It is important that we link up our experience of our daily lives to the calling of God.  Watch out that we do not get too carried away with the preparations in the example or for the baptism and do not leave enough time to discuss the preparations to answer our call at baptism.

Liturgy

Acclamation before the Gospel

Alleluia!  Alleluia!

I call you friends, says the Lord,

because I have made known to you

everything I have learnt form my Father.

Alleluia!

Gospel

Explain that Jesus is still on the road to Jerusalem.

The Lord be with you.

All:   And with your spirit.

A Reading from the Holy Gospel according to St Luke

All:   Glory to you O Lord

(Lk 14: 25-33)

Great crowds accompanied Jesus on his way and he turned and spoke to them, “If any man come to me without hating his father, mother, wife children, brothers, sisters, yes and even his own life too; he cannot be my disciple.  Anyone who does not carry his cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.

“And indeed, which of you here, intending to build a tower, would not first sit down and work out the cost to see if he had enough to complete it?  Otherwise, if he laid the foundation and then found himself unable to finish the work, the onlookers would then start making fun of him and saying, “Here is a man who started to build but was unable to finish.”  Or again, what king marching to war against another king would not first sit down to consider whether with ten thousand men he could stand up to the other who advanced against him with twenty thousand?  If not, then while the other king was still a long way off, he would send envoys to sue for peace.  So in the same way, none of you can be my disciple unless he gives up all his possessions.

This is the Word of the Lord

Dialogue

How many of you have ever saved up money to buy something you wanted, eg., a toy or a book?  Get the children to describe what it was that they were saving up to buy.  Was it hard saving up money?  Let the children tell us how they saved up the money.

Now, get them to imagine the scene: They have worked hard to save up their money to buy a favourite game.  Once they had enough money, they were so happy that they ran out to the shop with the money.  Imagine the downcast looks when the shopkeeper tells them that the price of the game has gone up about three months ago and the money they have is not enough.

Discuss: What have they not done?  Prepare, if they had prepared, they wouldn’t have been disappointed.  What could they have done? Check up with the shop before hand to see if the game still cost the same.  And then?  Saved some more until they have enough.

Discuss why it is so important to prepare.  Take another example: preparing for a baby’s baptism.  Have any of you ever helped prepare for a baby’s baptism?  Let them describe the preparations, but briefly.  Does the baby have to prepare?  Of course, but later, when the baby is grown up and able to make decisions.  Explain that when we are baptised, we are answering a call to be a child of God.  Discuss how we answer God’s call to be a child of God.

Discuss how people prepare for mass.  In addition to the people who prepare the church for mass – the sacristan, readers, choir, etc – it is also important that everyone who attends mass to also prepare for it.  We say our prayers and read the readings before the mass.  In a longer time frame, we also make sure that we are clean of sins and sincerely avoid any wrong-doing so that we can receive Jesus with a clean heart.

23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Year B

Twenty-third Ordinary Sunday

Images

 

People of impaired abilities

Points to note

 

To be politically correct, we talk of people with impaired abilities instead of handicapped.  Whatever label we apply, however, we seem sadly to be faced with a potential embarrassing situation: we have to deal with and embrace them in the name of Jesus. 

We now live in a world where it is possible for everyone to be beautiful and successful.  We propagate such ideas that it is a virtue to achieve beauty and success while those who do not achieve them are losers.  As such, we have largely been taught to avoid such losers in fear that we may be end up likewise.  It is possible therefore we may have children today who may not have met anyone who is handicapped.  If they have, it is very likely that the experience has not been presented to the child as a positive one.

We may not be able to reverse the years and the all-pervasive nature of society’s and perhaps, even the family’s conditioning of the child but if we can introduce the idea that there is an alternative view towards viewing the handicapped as undesired, I think we have succeeded.

Liturgy

Acclamation

Alleluia!  Alleluia!

Jesus proclaimed the Good News of the kingdom,

and cured all kinds of sickness among the people.

Alleluia!

Gospel

Jesus has just left Galilee and is travelling through some places outside of Israel on his way to Jerusalem.

The Lord be with you.

All:   And also with you.

A Reading from the Holy Gospel according to St Mark

(Mk 7:31-37)

Returning from the district of Tyre, Jesus went by way of Sidon towards the Sea of Galilee, right through the Decapolis region.  And they brought him a deaf man who had an impediment in his speech; and they asked him to lay his hand on him.  He took him aside in private, away from the crows, put his fingers into the man’s ears and touched his tongue with spittle.  Then looking up to heaven, he sighed; and said to him, “Ephphatha,” that is, “Be opened.”  And his ears were opened, and the ligament of his tongue was loosened and he spoke clearly.  And Jesus ordered them to tell no one about it, but the more he insisted, the more widely they published it.  Their admiration was unbounded.  “He has done all things well,” they said, “he makes the deaf hear and the dumb speak.”

This is the Gospel of the Lord

Discussion

Who are the key people in the story?  Jesus; the deaf man; and the bunch of people who brought the deaf man to Jesus, (the ‘They’).  Discuss how they felt:  the They, Jesus and the deaf man.  Why did They bring the deaf man to Jesus?  Maybe it is to make fun of him, maybe it is to sincerely help him.  But notice that Jesus took him aside in private: maybe Jesus knows the intentions of They and wanted to spare the deaf man from Them.

Discuss how do the children feel when they meet a deaf man?  It is good to just let the discussion flow.  Do not be judgemental about their responses, whether we view their responses as positive or not.  Let Jesus be the judge.

How did the deaf man react?  We don’t really know how did the deaf man react?  How would you think a deaf man would react if there is such a crowd?  Remember that many may have been taught to stay out of society’s way.  Wouldn’t they be fearful, embarrassed over the commotion, intimidated by other people’s initiatives?  Ask the children how they would feel if they are the deaf man in such a situation.  Again, do not be judgemental about what we view to be positive or negative responses.

How did Jesus react to the deaf man?  It is hard to tell from the reading how Jesus felt.  Maybe, he felt pity, maybe he felt that there was something that needs to be done.  Maybe, he felt that They need to be taught the right way to treating deaf people.  Whatever it is, we know what he did: he healed the deaf man.

Discuss how the children think Jesus wanted They to handle the deaf man.  Discuss how Jesus would want the children to deal with deaf and other handicapped people.  Contrast this with what the children’s responses were earlier.  While we should encourage the positive responses, do not shame the negative ones.  Explain that society does not generally treat handicapped people well and Jesus may want us, as Christians, to teach society how he wants handicapped people to be treated.

Are handicapped people helpless people who need our help all the time?  Look at the list of handicapped people below and I think we need their help to inspire our lives more than they need our help:

·            Stevie Wonder is blind

·            The world’s leading percussionist, Evelyn Glennie is deaf!  She attends concerts, plays in orchestra and as soloist, gives interviews without hearing a sound!

·            Helen Keller was born blind and deaf.  She eventually learned to talk and use a typewriter.  Try to imagine how it is like to learn if you can’t hear or see.

·            Alexander Graham Bell thought his telephone invention was not good enough and would never have released it if it wasn’t for his wife, who though deaf, insisted that he did.

Do you know any similar inspiring handicapped people?

Have you noticed things that we take for granted:

·            When you meet a blind person for a second time, he or she would know how high to put out his or her hand to shake yours?

·            A deaf person can tell whether you are actually speaking or only moving your lips?

·            A blind person standing by the road side in an unfamiliar place seems to know where the bus stop is, even without being told?

Do you have any similar stories to share?

23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Year A

Twenty-third Ordinary Sunday

Images

I am my brother’s keeper

Points to note

Last week, we dealt with how Jesus reacted to Peter who made a mistake.  This Sunday, we deal with a central theme in our everyday life:  What do we do when someone else makes a mistake?

Care must be taken to ensure that the discussion does not centre on the mistake that the someone else did, but rather on our reaction to that mistake.  Some children are notorious as ‘tell-tales’ and intervention is often required to keep the discussion on track.

Liturgy

Acclamation before the Gospel

Alleluia!  Alleluia!

Your word is truth, O Lord,

consecrate us in the truth.

Alleluia!

Gospel

This passage takes place after the Transfiguration, and Jesus was discussing with his disciples about the Church.

The Lord be with you.

All:   And also with your spirit.

A Reading from the Holy Gospel according to St Matthew

All:   Glory to you O Lord

(Mt 18: 15-20)

Jesus said to his disciples: “If your brother does something wrong, go and have it out with him alone, between your two selves.  If he listens to you, he has won back your brother.  If he does not listen, take one or two others with you:  the evidence of two or three witnesses is required to sustain any charge.  But if he refuses to listen to these, report it to the community; or if he refuses to listen to the community, treat him like a leper or a tax collector.

“I tell you solemnly, whatever you bind on earth shall be considered bound in heaven; whatever you considered loose on earth shall be considered loosed in heaven.

“I tell you solemnly once again, if two of you on earth agree to ask anything at all, it will be granted to you by my Father in heaven.  For where two or three meet in my name, I shall be there with them.”

This is the Gospel of the Lord

Discussion

Have you heard of the saying ‘I am not my brother’s keeper’?  It was Cain’s response when God asked him where Abel was (Gn 4:9).  What kind of person was Cain?  He murdered his brother, Abel.  You may wish to go through the story of why Cain killed Abel - because Cain got jealous when God liked Abel’s sacrifice more than Cain’s.  Discuss the type of person who would use the saying - someone who is afraid or not bothered about his brother.  Explain that ‘brother’ in this context, does not just refer to a member of the family, but to any member of the community.

Have you ever seen your brother or sister in the family done something wrong?  Careful here, we do not want a long diatribe of dirty linen being washed in public!!  Damper it down if necessary and move on.  Note that this does not refer to wrongdoing done by the child, but by others

Point out that even if it were a wrongdoing where no one gets hurt, Mom and Dad would still be angry.  Discuss what the child would do if Mom and Dad still haven't found out.  Would they tell at the first instance, or would they remonstrate with the wrongful sibling?  If the sibling were still unrepentant, would the child then inform the parents?  I find that in many circumstances, there is no right and wrong answer to this question.  Even for us as adults, or maybe, especially for us as adults (would you turn in your own child if he/she commits a crime?  A small crime?  A big crime?).  So, don’t be dogmatic with the answer.

If there is time, expand the discussion to brothers and sisters in the community.

Explain to the children that as the Church is one family, it also has a head like our parents at home.  As head of the Church, God would not like it if somebody in the family sins.  As a member of the family, we have a responsibility to do for a fellow member of our community what we should do for our sibling at home who has done any wrongdoing.